On Oct. 23, 1845, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered an anti-slavery speech in Cork, Ireland.
There, he told a crowd he denounced the role “American Christians” played in the system of slavery, according to a local newspaper at the time, which published his words a few days later.
“In America, Bibles and slave-holders go hand in hand,” said Douglass, who was born a slave and escaped as an adult. “The Church and the slave prison stand together, and while you hear the chanting of Psalms in one, you hear the clanking of chains in the other.”
His thoughts are just one example of lessons that could be encouraged in Utah public schools under a new proposal, SB268, which would require social studies educators to include the “role of religion” in U.S. history curriculum.
Douglass often described American Christianity — which he distinguished from the “Christianity of Christ”— as a “slaveholding religion,” one that not only tolerated slavery but defended it.
“My own master was a Methodist class leader,” Douglass said in Cork.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, specifically calls for teaching students about religion’s “fundamental” role in shaping the nation’s development, with emphasis on the significance of “religious liberty” in the framework of American constitutional government.
The role of religion could also be explored through other “optional topics,” including the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, immigrant aid and “religious pluralism in contemporary America.“
Teachers are already encouraged to include Douglass’ speeches in social studies lessons under current state law.
“Some of the biggest turning points in American history, such as the end of slavery and the Civil Rights movement, involved the faith of some of our historical figures,” Weiler said on the Senate Floor Wednesday. “I don’t believe that U.S. history can be taught accurately and completely without including the role of people’s faith.”
He further argued that since the Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that school-sponsored prayer was unconstitutional, “there has been an unintended and unfortunate, chilling effect on any discussion of religion, including its vital role in U.S. history.”
But Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, spoke against it, arguing that when statute lists out certain permissions — especially when it comes to education — it has unintended effects.
“This list is comprehensive, but it also leaves out a lot of things,” Riebe said Wednesday. “When you create a list that you leave out things for, you actually create a situation where people think they can’t teach something.”
Riebe called the bill “unnecessary, because we can already teach all these things.”
SB286 would also require schools to ensure that students aren’t discriminated against if they express their beliefs about religion in assignments.
Specifically, it would ensure that students cannot be “penalized or rewarded” based on their religious perspective.
The bill passed out of the Senate and moved to the House for consideration. If passed, it would take effect starting the 2027-28 school year.
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